Ride 16 was memorable for a few reasons. First, it was my longest ride of the year and second, it was my fastest ride of the year. Third, it was my first Waterloo Cycling Club (WCC) road ride this year and the other riders my group made for a very enjoyable ride
With warmer weather of April and May, I typically bring out my road riding machine after its hibernation in the winter. I call it a “machine” because after riding heavy CX and fat bikes over the winter and early spring, my carbon road bike feels so light and it just wants to go fast. Each pedal stroke acts to move the bike forward in an efficient motion. With seemingly little effort, I’m ride 30+ km/h.
The Saturday WCC group ride meets in north Waterloo at 8:30 am , and I rode there in my new Ride the Earth Cycles (RTE) jersey. RTE provides custom cycling clothing at affordable prices, and I’m an ambassador for them this year. Contact Brandon at Inception Cyclery (in St. Catherines) and he’ll give you all the information you need to get custom team or charity cycling clothing. Perhaps fittingly with the Giro d’Italia on right now, this hot new jersey stands out with its bright pink colour scheme. I’m not one who usually wears bright colours, but this kit (made by CODE) is impressive, not only in colour but in fit and feel.
Over 40 riders were split into three groups based on how far and how fast they wanted to go. I chose the intermediate group, and we did about 70km. With my ride to and from home, I ended up with over 85 km. Fitness is slowly getting there and I had moments when I felt strong. I’m still working on the high zone, but that will come with more time on the bike(s).
Here’s the route we took: https://www.strava.com/activities/568457902
Finally, here’s the announcement you’ve been waiting for….. Drum roll….. The winner of my blog’s first giveaway is….. Joe M. from Elmira. Congrats Joe! I’ll be emailing you and we can arrange details about your prize from HoneyMaxx! Thanks to Mark and Tom at HoneyMaxx for providing this prize. I’ve been using their nutrition drink mix and honey wafers (mmmmmm!) this year and the products are amazing! And thanks for those who entered. I got some great ideas for “memorable bike rides” for 2016. Look for more contests here on the blog in the days and weeks to come. And read the comments to see the other ideas that people came up with. Also, feel free to keep adding ideas for me for my 50 memorable rides of 2016!
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